Devil's Children
by xrosepetalsx
Summary: Based on episode 11: Devil Child. Ferris takes care of Ryner after his breakdown at the lake.


**A/N:** Based on episode 11: Devil's Child. The first half is taken completely from the show, the second half is what I created that happened after the episode ended.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own.

**Devil's Children**

**By xrosepetalsx**

They stopped at a waterfall with the river snaking out in front of them, the sound of rushing water filling their ears, but it was hardly even background noise to the sounds in Ryner's head.

With a handkerchief in one hand, he dropped to his knees, the boy still cradled in his arms. He dipped the cloth in the river, and wiped at the little boys face, cleaning the dried blood from his skin, unaware of Ferris standing just to the right behind him, her back turned to the river he sat before.

They were silent for a while, but the outside world wasn't registering to Ryner anymore. The only thing that seemed to matter were the words that were stuck in his throat.

"If there is a God, I dare you to answer me!" he whispered, hard at work on the boy in his lap. "Why did you make someone like me? To toy with for your amusement, then deliver divine punishment?"

His voice broke on the last word, and he sucked in a shallow breath, holding back the tears that threatened to fall, seeing nothing but the blood stained skin of the Alpha Stigma bearer he held in his arms.

"What a load of crap," he growled, voice husky and carrying on the wind. Ferris turned to stare at him, a blank stare that he didn't see.

"I'm not...we're not your toys!"

He paused again, taking another shallow breath, eyes burning with tears. "We're alive too you know. It's not like we wanted to be born as such devils...as monsters," he growled, taking yet another breath that sounded even more like a gasp.

In front of him, the river rushed on, and the Alpha Stigma bearer's face came almost clean, rubbed raw and red.

"It's not like...It's not like...It's not like we want these eyes, either!"

The tears fell, dripped onto the little boys face, and he gasped another shallow breath, holding back what was almost a sob. His grip tightened on the child, and it started to rain, but Ryner was still almost not aware.

He could feel the cold water against his skin, soaking through his clothing and sticking to his skin, but it seemed the farthest thing from his mind.

"Or maybe it is our fault?" he asked, his voice suddenly calm, not even a waver in his words. He gazed at the pale skinned boy he held, and wished it wasn't true, wished it wasn't a possibility. Wished that this little boy hadn't had to lose his parents because of the eyes he'd been born with.

His tears dried up as it continued to rain, and he became numb.

"If there really is a God in this land...please, I beg of you, tell me."

Ferris turned her stare to the heavens, calm and penetrating, the rain hitting her face ever more rapidly, cold and frigid against her skin. Then she turned back to Ryner, her eyes sad and a feeling growing in her chest that she couldn't even began to understand.

A tear slipped down Ryner's face and her chest tightened, but her face didn't show it. Her insides trembled, but her body didn't show it.

They were quiet.

No words were exchanged, the rain continued to pound down around them, and Ferris waited for Ryner to say something more. When he didn't, she crouched down.

"Ryner..." she whispered, so quiet she didn't think he could even hear her over the sound of the rain, but she couldn't seem to speak any louder. Ryner heard her though, and turned his face to hers, a deep settled sadness in his eyes.

Ferris reached out and gripped one of his hands softly in hers, not actually sure what she was doing, but it felt right. Her movements were stilted as she stood up, pulling Ryner and the boy up with her, her eyes locked with his.

"Come on," she said, words still so quiet, "We need to get out of the rain."

Ryner didn't respond, but he didn't refuse, and Ferris took that as a good sign as she turned and started to lead them away from the river, from the waterfall she could still hear pounding against the water in the background.

She looked for a cave, or an overhanging rock, still leading Ryner and the boy through the forest, hoping to find shelter before the rain got any worse. Her eyes were sharp, but the world blurred around her. The tightening in her chest grew worse, and what felt suspiciously like a tear rolled down her cheek.

She reached up with her free hand to wipe it away, and found herself confused. She was crying, but she didn't understand why.

Finally, finally, she caught sight of an overhang, and pulled Ryner after her until they were sheltered in its enclave. He was numb to the touch, and his face reflected the same as she pushed him to the floor and made him sit against the rock wall.

He didn't move to put the boy down beside him, so she did it for him, her face once again blank, her movements once again stilted.

She sat on her knees in front of him, and stared into his eyes, trying to decipher what he was feeling, trying to understand what she should do. Harsh words were all she knew, but somehow she knew this time...this time that's not what Ryner needed.

So she was quiet, blue eyes locked with brown, the rain pounding along right over their small shelter, until he began to cry again, and she moved forward and wrapped her arms around him and held him as she had before, feeling his body tremble against her own.

She couldn't understand, but her chest hurt worse than ever, and she felt her own tears welling in her eyes again. Ryner cried against her shoulder, his arms tightening their hold around her, and all she wanted to do was hold him closer.

She wanted to stop his crying, and make the pain go away.

She wanted to go back to how they'd been before today had happened.

Eventually, Ryner stopped crying, and when he did, his breathing slowed and his grip slackened, but Ferris didn't let him go. She couldn't find it within herself to do so. She held him against her softly and puzzled out her own feelings.

They were something she didn't yet understand.

Suddenly, she wished Lucile was with her. She wished she could ask her brother what this feeling was, ask him to explain what Ryner was doing to her, because she didn't understand it, no matter how much she wanted to.

The rain began to slacken and Ferris grew tired, finally pulling back from Ryner and letting him lean back against the wall, never waking him in the slightest. She cocked her head and stared at the soft planes of his face, and before she could think about it, she leaned forward and kissed him.

It startled her, and she pulled back, touching her lips softly with the pads of her fingers. Ryner didn't stir.

She sat back on her heels and thought, wondered what her brother would say about that, and found her eyes drifting back to Ryner's lips again.

The night grew colder.

Ferris closed her eyes.

In the morning, she would act like nothing had ever happened. She would make things go back to normal, because she hated seeing Ryner cry. She hated seeing that sadness in his eyes...and she hated not knowing what this feeling was deep in her chest.


End file.
